Sport and Europe : an analysis by social sciences William GASPARINI University Professor, Jean Monnet Chair Faculty of sport sciences Strasbourg
The sport is European by its history - the word sport comes from the French word desport which means to be diverted, to have fun -the modern sport was born in England at the end of the 18 th. century -the Olympic Games were renovated by the baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 and the first Games Olympic were organized in Greece.
As most modern sports, modern football is born in the English Public Schools at the beginning of the 19th century. Then, the football clubs are created initially in Europe : Le Havre in 1872, Copenhagen in 1878, Hamburg in 1887, Strasbourg and Paris in 1892, Genoa, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe in 1893, Marseille in 1901.
The modern sport is resulting from two European currents : -the first, nationalist, are the movement gymnast, born in the Germanic and Scandinavian countries; -the second, pro-globalization Europeanist, are the team sport, Anglo-Saxon, trained in the English public schools
The bases of the world sporting system were born in Europe and this system continues -until 1992, in fact initially the European cities accommodated the Olympic Games -80% of the international sporting organizations are installed in Europe -the majority of the leaders of the international sporting organizations are Europeans
The pyramid of sports practise in Europe :the model of Coubertin The sporting elite (professional) The sport «amateur» : club members, competitive sport Occasional sports players, school sport, sport of leisure
Sport : a social and an European fact To think the sport like a laboratory of social (Norbert Elias) and a total social fact (Pociello, according to Marcel Mauss) The sport in Europe reproduces the European societies The sport also contributes to produce the European societies
Two dimensions of the European sport 1. sport practiced by Europeans = Europe of the people or the sporting citizens - 60% of European citizens in the European Union practice sport - more than 700,000 sporting clubs are established in the 28 member States of the EU -Europeans are more and more attracted by football games on the TV and the sporting shows on television
Two dimensions of the European sport The European sport is also sporting goods consumed by the Europeans and the sporting services offered to Europeans 2 % of total employment in the EU (either 5 million people) are sporting employment They are 4 000 Stadiums (stadesde football) in Europe on 12 000 in the word Sport is an activity and an economic sector
Two dimensions of the European sport 2. The second dimension of European sport : sport controlled by the institutions -the European institutions through the European treaties
Two dimensions of the European sport -the sport controlled by sport institutions
THE"THREEEUROPE": GEOGRAPHICAL, POLITICAL AND SPORTING The definition of the limits/borders of Europe is the object of struggle, as the European continent has no existence as a physical unit. Therefore, the limits of Europe are a convention and a political construct The area of the "Europe of sport" does not superimpose on the other (geographical and political) areas and borders of Europe
THE"THREEEUROPE": GEOGRAPHICAL, POLITICAL AND SPORTING The European space varies according to the perspective and object: for instance, the Europe of UEFA (54 Member States) is not equivalent to the EU area (28 countries) or the Council of Europe's (47 countries)
Member States of the EU
Map of the member countries of the Council of Europe
Map of the European football clubs
Map of the member countries of the UEFA
THE EUROPE OF SPORT: A SUBJECTIVE REALITY SPORT AND ITS EUROPEAN REALITY EFFECT The important sports competitions and geography of sports organisations create a "European reality effect": a European collective imagination a mental map of Europe and an "imagined community" (Benedict Anderson, 1996).
THE EUROPE OF SPORT: A SUBJECTIVE REALITY SPORT AND ITS EUROPEAN REALITY EFFECT Many young French, Italians or Greeks get to know Europe by watching football games on television, as part of the European championships = Europe of the great businessclubs and big European cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Turin, Rome, Munich, Bayern, PSG, Lyon, Manchester, Liverpool,...) Through television broadcasting of its games, both in its Member States and outside, UEFA conveys quite a broader vision of Europe.
A EUROPEAN REALITY EFFECT: A MENTAL MAP OF EUROPE THROUGH FOOTBALL Unlike the European Union (27 countries) or Council of Europe (47 countries), the European territory of UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) consists of over 54 Member States, including: Turkey, Israel, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Faroe Islands (a self-governing region within the Danish Realm in the Norwegian Sea) and Gibraltar since 2013 clubs which show an extended Europe: Maccabi Tel- Aviv FC, Dynamo Kiev, Galatasaray AS. This European sport organisation affiliated with FIFA conveys the broadest vision of Europe.
A EUROPEAN REALITY EFFECT: A MENTAL MAP OF EUROPE THROUGH FOOTBALL
A REALITY EFFECT: A MENTAL MAP OF THE WORLD THROUGH FOOTBALL -AFC Asian Football Confederation - 46 members - founded in 1954 - represents Asian nations in football. The main tournament is the Asian Cup. CAF Confédération Africaine de Football - 54 members - founded in 1957 - represents African nations in football. The main tournament is the African Cup of Nations. -CONCACAF Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football - 40 members - founded in 1961 represents North American, Central American and Caribbean nations. The main tournament is the CONCACAF Gold Cup. -CONMEBOL - Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol - 10 members - founded in 1916 represents South American nations in football. The main tournament is the Copa America. -OFC - Oceania Football Confederation - 11 members - founded in 1966 represents Oceanian nations in football. The main tournament is the OFC Nations Cup. -UEFA Union of European Football Associations - 54 members - founded in 1954 represents European nations in football.
Studying sport and Europe: a theoretical challenge - European construction and sport constitute a triple theoretical challenge for sociologists: because of the complexity of its process, the diversity of institutions and their competences, as well as the multitude of intervening agents and organisations because of the beliefs to which sport is subjected because of the overlooking and disembodied vision of the European sports policies
Studying sport and Europe: a theoretical challenge - It is a question of analysing "who makes the Europe of sport" rather than "what Europe does to sport" in the various countries under its jurisdiction (EU or CoE)
- 5 TYPES OF ACTORS ARE PRESENT IN THE EUROPEAN SPORTS AREA ( CHAMP ) the actors of the European sports movement the stakeholders of the national sports policies the European institutions stakeholders the actors of the civil society who are committed to promoting non-competitive sport as well as the struggle against the "excesses" of sport (cf European Non-Governmental Sport Organisation ENGSO-, European Women and Sports EWS-, European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation, etc ) the economic actors like Adidas, Euro-news, BeIN Sports?
A sociological approach - "EUROPEAN SPORT" IS A SYMBOLIC, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CONSTRUCT To think sport as a European social fact and a transnational area To study the European sport sociologically, it is initially necessary to study the actors of the sport
A sociological approach - to study the European sports policies as a new area of European power. It is a "weak area" under development, the authority of which in the field of sports is limited since it is "surrounded" by other areas (economic, media, national sports areas...) to conduct a sociological study of sport in Europe from the perspective of its players, including "sports entrepreneurs of Europeanization"
Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament
Michel Platini, the president of the UEFA
Zizou, the trainer of Real de Madrid
But the actors are also anonymous football players
But the actors are also anonymous supporters
Bibliography
Sport facing the test of cultural diversity (2010) Council of Europe Publishing
Sport and discrimination in Europe (2010) Council of Europe Publishing
Thank you for your attention